Michael Jordan 1985 Air Jordan 1 Game Used Signed Sneakers Rookie MEARS, JSA COA
$499,995.00
Just Do It? More like Just BE It.
Nike's shoe revolution—what turned the sneaker industry on its head and changed the game forever—was a radical new mindset. Instead of molding star players to fit their ready-made models (think Converse with Magic, Bird and Dr. J), Nike invented a shoe that conformed to Michael Jordan. A shoe that was a physical embodiment of Michael Jordan. A shoe that manifested everything Michael Jordan represented as a player, a man, a hero. Nike's stroke of genius was building a brand that was synonymous with, inseparable from, Michael himself. Air Jordan IS Michael Jordan. It was and always will be Michael Jordan. One and the same.
That's why November 17, 1984, and April 1, 1985, are the two most important days in sneaker history. First there was MJ's debut of the Air Jordan 1 in its iconic Chicago colorway for a game against Erving's 76ers. Then came the public release date when anyone and everyone could suddenly step into their brand-new Air Jordans and BE Michael Jordan. All of those original 1985 AJ 1's still sizzle on the auction block today, but nothing compares to the 1984-85 rookie-era gamers that His Airness laced up, took to the floor in, and took to the sky in.
Presented here is one such prestigious pair—not only game worn by Michael Jordan, but autographed by him to boot. True to form, the left shoe is size 13, while the right is size 13.5. The interior stamped codes, "13 850204 TYPS" and "13 1/2 850204 TYPS," are found exclusively on game-worn examples and, in this case, signify that the sneaks are "PS" Player Samples manufactured between February and April of 1985 at the "TY" Tong Yang factory in Korea. According to the MEARS LOA, "A thorough review of the shoes with the aid of a black light and digital microscope found no evidence of fabricated wear, removal of materials, or foreign addition of materials. The physical manufacturing traits are consistent with the Nike Air design. Both shoes exhibit an even level of light to moderate game wear." Jordan's signature is a black-marker beauty on the right shoe's inside upper ankle.
LOA from MEARS (319724, for game use). LOA from JSA (for autograph).
